Purchase price of paddy to increase

Measures will be taken to increase the guaranteed purchase price of paddy from Yala season, Agriculture Minister P Harrison said.

Accordingly price of a kilo of Samba paddy will be increased from Rs 41 to Rs 43 and price of a of a kilo of Nadu will be increased from Rs 38 to Rs 40, said the Minister.

Participating as the Chief Guest at the Western province Govi Abhiman Award Ceremony, Minister Harrison stressed the government have already implemented a mechanism to limit the increase of rice prices along with the paddy purchasing price.

Minister further said that a cabinet paper has been submitted to make the maximum retail price for rice and according to that the maximum retail price of one kilo of Nadu rice will be Rs 80 and one kilo of Samba will be Rs 85 with effect from April 1, 2019.

But as a Minister who came from a farmer family I firmly believe that a one kilo of Nadu should be Rs 40 and will take necessary measures to do that.